


Love in the Face of Unimaginable Awkwardness

by im_with_you_till_the_end_of_the_line



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Awkward!Jean, Crack, Humor, M/M, Popular!Armin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-13
Updated: 2014-05-21
Packaged: 2018-01-24 13:39:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1607117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/im_with_you_till_the_end_of_the_line/pseuds/im_with_you_till_the_end_of_the_line
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Armin is the most popular kid at Shiganshina High. Jean Kirschstein knows he doesn't have a chance with him, but he still harbors an embarrassingly obvious crush on the guy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Every highschool AU Jearmin fic ever has popularjock!Jean and unpopularnerd!Armin and I decided to switch it up... And this monstrosity happened.

Jean had never been a dumpling before.

But dancing around for a few hours in a steaming hot eagle suit with limited ventilation gives you that feeling. Jean had, God knows why, volunteered to step in for the normal mascot guy for the football game today. He was representing his school's team, the Shiganshina Soarers, in an epic battle against their top rivals, the Sina Titans. At least, Jean thought to himself, he got to be an eagle. The poor bastard acting as the mascot for the Titans was dressed as some sort of lump of flesh with a squashed, grinning face and malformed limbs that made walking look like a convulsive seizure. 

Jean executed a sloppy frontflip and looked to the audience, raising his hands to demand that they make some noise for the Soarers.

_God, just let this be over..._

* * *

 

 

The next day, at lunch, Jean wearily shoveled hot wings into his mouth as he listened to his best friend, Marco Bodt, babble about literally everything that crossed his mind. Jean knew better than to try to stop him -- Marco got like this when he was excited about something, and once he got rolling it was almost impossible to shut him up.

Jean also knew that Marco would tell him what exactly he was excited about in due time, and asking prematurely would only prolong the process by getting him even more worked up. 

Jean's mental lament about his best friend's annoying but lovable quirks was interrupted quite suddenly by the appearance of the school's most popular junior: Armin Arlert. He was accompanied, as usual, by his two closest buddies. Mikasa Ackerman was a major badass who could probably kick Bruce Lee's ass fairly easily. Eren Jaeger had a fiery, passionate personality and a deep bromance with Armin. 

And then there was the top dog himself...

Armin Arlert was extraordinarily smart, definitely top of his class, but he was probably the farthest thing from a nerd one could be. He walked with a defined swagger, and had an eternal smirk on his face, accompanied by a smug look in his blue eyes. 

Oh, those eyes. Jean daydreamed often about their beautiful cornflower-blue elegance. And his golden cascades of hair, just short of his shoulders, in a long bowl-like cut that only Armin could make sexy. Sometimes Jean thought about what those blonde locks would look like when they were clinging to Armin's sweaty forehead as he rode Jean's cock, moaning and gasping Jean's name....

"Hey! Earth to Jean! Oh my God, Jean, get your shit together!" 

Jean snapped out of his fantasy to see the speaker, Ymir, and her red-faced girlfriend Christa, staring at him-- Christa with mortification and Ymir with an evil glint in her eye. Jean looked around and saw that almost every eye at the tables nearest to him had turned to him. Connie Springer was clutching his stomach and gasping, in hysterics. Sasha Braus was spewing bread crumbs everywhere as she tried not to burst into laughter. Levi Ackerman (Mikasa's cousin or something) and his posse were smirking at him from their exclusive table in the corner. Even Marco had stopped talking and was staring at Jean with a red face and a hand clapped over his mouth. 

With utmost horror Jean realized that he had been openly staring at Armin Arlert with his mouth hanging open and drool creeping out the edges, making little moaning noises. 

And the worst part?

Armin himself was staring back at Jean, with raised eyebrows and his hand on his cocked hip.

Jean turned a brilliant vermilion and hid under the table.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jean confides his feelings to a dustpan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay. Literally like 15 words. Ugghhh I'm so bad at long chapters for this fic I'm sorry >A

"NO, MARCO. GO. THE FUCK. AWAY."

 

Jean was curled up in the corner of the school's primary custodial closet. Marco, doing a reeeaaalllly bad job of suppressing his laughter, was making a valiant attempt to be a good friend through this time of great trial. And failing. Pretty epicly.

"Jean, look, it's…pffftt…sorry, it's okay! I'm sure no one interpreted that as..y'know…"

 

Jean looked up to glare up at his friend from beside the mop and the water bin. "Marco. You are being, like, the opposite of helpful right now."

Marco managed to look repentant, and replied fairly sincerely, "I'm sorry that happened man… I'm here, no judgment. Or, very minimal judgment. Or how about like I love you despite the major judgment that's happening--"

 

"OKAY YOU'RE DONE. LEAVE. NOW." Jean stood up and shoved his friend out of the closet. 

 

Marco stayed outside the closed door long enough to calm his laughter, then said, "Bro, I'm sorry, I love you, man. I'm just trying to, like support you. And stuff. Yeah?"

 

Jean sighed. "Yeah, I know. Thanks." He paused. "But like. Space."

 

Marco, who was clearly still struggling with keeping his humor-induced near-hysteria under control in front of Jean, replied, "Sure man, I getchu. I'll catch you later!" Jean groaned loudly and buried his face in his hands. When he looked up, the first thing he saw was a dustpan. 

"You, know, Dusty--can I call you Dusty?--life isn't always very nice. I guess you know that; you're a dustpan. But even for people, there are moments when I almost envy dustpans. Like right now. See, what happened was…"

 

* * *

 

 

Dustpans are very good listeners.

Dusty was kind enough to listen to Jean until he'd gotten everything off his chest and was ready to take on the world again. Jean had bid his new friend a fond farewell, then steeled himself, and threw open the custodial closet door… To see that he had come out at the exact moment that Armin and his little clique were strutting down the very same hallway.

Armin and his besties halted, surprised. The two parties stared at one another for a full awkward 45 seconds. Then Eren, that little bastard, let a slow, gleeful, wicked grin slide onto his face. "You're Kirschstein, right?"

 

_Shitshitshitshitshitshitshit_

 

"Pfffffft, no! ...Or, I guess, yes. No! Maybe? Yes I am. I'm Jean."

 

Oh. My. God. Smoothness should be an Olympic sport, because Jean would definitely take the gold.

 

Eren looked at him in absolute incredulity, then looked at Mikasa, whose usually impassive face was betraying a bit it too, and then they both burst out laughing, Mikasa quietly and breathily, and Eren loudly, raucously. With horror, Jean noticed that Armin's face had become a picture of amusement. _At least he isn't laughing!_ one small part of Jean's brain thought. 

 

Way to find the silver lining there, buddy.

 

Armin spoke. "So, dick munch, are you the same Kirschtein I'm supposed to work with on the history project?"

Could his day possibly get any worse? Literally never, even in his wildest nightmares, had a day gone so wrong.

 

"Um. Yes? I.. I guess so." Jean was horrified to notice that he was blushing. He was so screwed. Just in general.

Armin examined his nails. "Hella. I'll see you then, Jean." He winked flirtatiously and swiveled around, laughing cruelly as Jean stood in red-faced, shocked, shameful arousal.

 

His life was so over.


End file.
